The Bloodbeast
by The Grey Coincidence
Summary: A short one-shot of the Soothsayer sending abunch of hyperactive wolf-pups to bed. The Halloween way :).


**A/N: My Quadrupdate, (a fascinating tale of one fanfiction author who published four fics in one day, the devil's birthday. Muhahahaha.) Anyways this one shot is a story about the Wolf Boss and his siblings being babysat by the Soothsayer, hilarity ensues. The Wolf Boss by the way is the 'oldest one' since I don't know his name. Anyways an out of ten would be nice, as with all my fics, I know this is short but I really think it's well-written.  
**

 **Enjoy.**

"Nanny, nanny I need more milk"!

"Move it punk I was here first"!

"Don't be a jerk, it's my turn for milk"!

"You've had five cups of milk"!

"Did not"!

"Did too"!

"Hey guys who wants to play Guards and Bandits"!

"No, we play that all the time"!

"It's boring"!

"Let's play another game"!

"But I need my milk first"!

"But it's my go"!

"Is not"!

"Is too"!

Ah-Ma sighed. She had been relieved of her duties ads Prince Shen's nanny's for one week, now she was babysitting the Captain of the Guards's children instead, and she didn't have to think which was easier. The Captain of the Guards had been blessed with five pups, though some could say that it was in fact a curse, she decided that the former was sweeter to say. There were the twins Lang and Lang, Little Long, Fuzzy Fujian and the oldest who was known as, what was his name again ? Ah-Ma shook her head, she was getting tired. This was her last night babysitting them, and to celebrate the puppies had decided to be extra rowdy. She stared out the window, watching as the last rays of the sun fell below the horizon, and as a single leaf fell off of a lonesome branch to join the other ones that decorated the ground.

 _Bedtime_ , she thought, as she wondered on another clever way to send the pups to sleep.

On the first five days she had read each of their fortunes one by one, none of them promised to do much, but she knew fate could always change, the eldest seemed like he would succeed his father as Captain of the Guard. On the previous day she had promised them all an extra moon cake on the approaching Autumn Harvest Festival, and they had all gone out like a light.

Now as darkness dropped over and as she lit a lone candle to light the room, she got her inspiration in an old story, one that would certainly interest them.

Two of the pups were still arguing over the jug of milk, the twins were playing guards and bandits, while the fifth was trying to howl at the moon. Tapping the floor with her walking stick she got their attention. "Who wants to hear a bedtime story"?

There was general approval as the pups forgot their playing, howling, and the milk jug lay spilled on the floor, as they scurried hither and thither to sit down in a circle before their nanny.

"Do any of you know why wolves howl at the moon"?

Five paws shot up with the usual, 'me', 'me', 'me' that went with it.

"Good then you all know about territory, and instinct and so on, right"?

"Yes Miss Nanny", five voices called back with considerably less enthusiasm, sensing with child-like instinct the possibility of a lesson.

"But do you know the one thing all wolves must fear"?

"Vegetables"? Fuzzy Fujian ventured to ask, with a shiver of cold, or actual fear, sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Not truly, because you wouldn't grow without your greens. Every wolf must fear the Bloodbeast".

Now they were frozen in place, enchanted by her words. The Soothsayer smiled, as she spun her tail, like a spider with it's silk.

 _"Long ago when the world was young and the days were new, the wolves of the world traversed the lands with the foxes and the jackals and the dogs and the hyenas and so on._

 _Blood was shed aplenty by these beasts, save for a few. One wolf brought smiles while most brought death. Fujian the Funny was his name. All who met him laughed, with him or at him he didn't mind, for jokes and jeers were the same to his humble ears. One day he met an old fox lady, whom he enchanted with his comedy, he feasted like a king in her den that night, for all animals are grateful for a joke._

 _The next day as Fujian raced onwards in his pursuit of of humour._

 _The vixen was attacked by the other wolves, as they ran off she cursed all their kind, to forever be plagued by the blood they spilt. Using her powerful magic, she summoned from her bleeding wound a beast only she could command. A monster of ever-beasts' nightmares"._

"What was it"? One wolf whispered in a voice full of fear.

 _"A terrible thing. Black and red all over, with fur on it's body, feather's on it's head and a slimy scaly tail. It had two villainously poisonous fangs, and teeth as sharp as swords. It had the wings of a bat, and no feet, and drags itself towards it's prey._

 _On the first night it ate all the beasts' daughters, and on the next all their sons vanished, it swallowed them whole and kept them trapped in it's belly, sometimes you can still hear the screaming._

 _When he realized what was happening Fujian the Funny raced back towards the old vixen's den. But she would not lift the curse, nor tell him how to hide from the beast. He begged and pleaded, cursed and threatened, but she was deaf to him._

 _Pleading on the laughs he gave her, Fujian the Funny begged even more, and finally the old vixen gave in. She allowed that she would call off her monster for three days if he could bring her his kind. All those that came with him on the third day would be spared from the monster._

 _On the first day he convinced his cousins the foxes, and his brothers the dogs._

 _On the second day he convinced his uncles the jackals and his nephews the hyenas._

 _On the third day he convinced the wolves._

 _But not all, not all. Of course their were the stubborn ones, the ones who disbelieved in the beast and the magic. So not all the foxes, nor all the wolves, nor the dogs, or hyenas or the jackals came._

 _The vixen did as she had promised. 'The hyena must laugh, the fox must cover it's tracks, the dog must bark, the jackal must howl at sunrise and sunset, and the wolves must howl at the moon', and so the Bloodbeast released the children, and those that came lived well.  
_

 _That dear children is why wolves howl at the moon."_

The oldest puppy managed to force an answer out of her. "But what happened to the ones that didn't come"?

"They screamed when the beast came, they begged and pleaded, but anyone caught out of bed was taken in one quick gulp."

Those were the magic words, the words that sent four pups, right into their beds, huddled under the blankets like sweet little children.

"How do you know"? The oldest pup asked.

"Because I am the Bloodbeast", she stood up suddenly, and the little pup raced for the safety of the blankets. Ah-Ma laughed softly to herself. No doubt Fujian the Funny would pester their parents at every bed time.

She watched as all five now snored softly, like a couple of little angels. She smiled and went off to her own blankets.


End file.
